KITSAULT "Heaven on Earth" The Geology, Ecology, and History of Kitsault, B.C. Kitsault Resort Ltd. The Ghost Town of Kitsault, B.C. Over the two decades that the townsite of Kitsault sat empty, lawns were mowed and buildings were heated. The only occupants, two caretakers, carried on a constant battle to keep trees from reclaiming the townsite and roads. Ghost Town of Kitsault in 2004 Photo: LandQuest Realty Corp. Researched and Written by: Dr. Norma Kerby, 2011 Planning and Environmental Consultant P.O. Box 778, Terrace, B.C., V8G 4R1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, and recording, or otherwise – without the prior written permission of Kitsault Resort Ltd., except for brief passages quoted by a reviewer in a newspaper or magazine. To perform any of the above is an infringement of copyright law. Copyright 2011: Kitsault Resort Ltd. www.kitsault.com Disclaimer: the contents of this book are for general information only and are not intended for use in regulatory or approval processes, or environmental assessment procedures or conclusions. References regarding information sources, quotes, images, and maps are listed at the end of the book. Photo credits are listed on the final text page. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing for Publication ISBN 978-0-9869313-0-7 Cover: View of Alice Arm Inlet from townsite. Photo: K. Mathew Inside back: Lime Creek. Photo: N.Kerby Inside back: Mining camp, Alice Arm Inlet, 1925 - Image I-67707 courtesy Royal BC Museum, BC Archives Back Cover: Alice Arm Inlet and views of the townsite of Kitsault, B.C. Photos: Kitsault Resort Ltd. Mining camp, 1925, Alice Arm inlet Lime Creek Silver claims were first staked in 1911 on the east side of the inlet along Lime Creek (today's location of the townsite of Kitsault). The claims were worked during the 1920's and early 1930's. Some rich molybdenite ore was taken out during World War I, but interest was not strong in this odd mineral. The rich deposit of molybdenum in the upper watershed of Lime Creek sat untouched until 1956 when a mining subsidiary of Kennecott Copper Corporation discovered a large deposit of porphyry molybdenum at Widdzech Mountain. In 1979 -1980, Amax of Canada Ltd. built the townsite of Kitsault and opened the Kitsault Molybdenum Mine. It closed in 1983 after 18 months of operations due to low metal prices. Mining camp, 1925 - Image I-67707 courtesy of Royal BC Museum, BC Archives Lime Creek photo: N. Kerby KITSAULT RESORT LTD. BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA CONTACT US AT: K. Mathew, Townsite Manager, Kitsault Resort Ltd., 4825 McConnell Avenue, Terrace, B.C., Canada V8G 4H5 Telephone: 1-250-635-1935 Cell phone: 1-250-631-2243 e-mail: [email protected] www.kitsault.com Copyright 2011 Kitsault Resort Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9869313-0-7 1 Kitsault: The Geology, Ecology, and History of Kitsault, B.C. Written by Dr. Norma Kerby 2011 Construction of Apartment Buildings at Kitsault, 1979 - town of Alice Arm in upper right. Photo: Kitsault Resort Ltd. - V3.2 Kitsault Resort Ltd., 2011 - 2 Table of Contents Page INTRODUCTION 3 PART 1: THE NORTH COAST AND KITSAULT AREA 5 Geology of the Kitsault area 6 Ecology of the Kitsault area 11 History of the North Coast and Kitsault area 23 The Kitsault Molybdenum Mine: A Maze of Mining Companies 34 Current Activities in the Kitsault Area 36 PART 2: THE COMMUNITY OF KITSAULT 39 From Planned Town to Ghost Town 41 Community Revived 45 REFERENCES 48 MAP REFERENCES AND CREDITS 55 PHOTO CREDITS 55 Satellite image of Observatory Inlet with Hastings Arm to the left and Alice Arm inlet to the right. Kitsault Alice Arm town Proposed Kitsault Mine Alice Arm Inlet - V3.2 Kitsault Resort Ltd., 2011 - 3 Introduction Kitsault, British Columbia, Canada, is a Cinderella story. Once described as one of B.C.'s most famous ghost towns, it has risen up again to become 'Heaven on Earth', a proposed modern resort in a spectacular location. Located within the traditional territory of the Nisga'a and the Nass Wildlife Area of the Nisga'a Treaty, eco-sustainability and human well-being are the goals of this revived community. Situated on British Columbia's rugged north coast, Kitsault is found at the head of Alice Arm, the eastern extension of Observatory Inlet. By air, the unincorporated townsite of Kitsault is 140 km northeast of Prince Rupert, 115 km northwest of Terrace, and 850 km north of Vancouver. The border of Alaska is only 35 km west of Kitsault, with the long, narrow Portland Canal forming the boundary between British Columbia and Alaska. Stewart, at the head of the Portland Canal, is 60 km NNW by air from Kitsault over the rugged Coast Mountains and the extensive Cambria Icefield. Kitsault's closest neighbour is the tiny mining village of Alice Arm, 2.5 km NW across the inlet. To the east of Kitsault, an 820 meter high pass through the Boundary Mountain Ranges separates Kitsault from the Nass Valley, 38 km away. The four Nisga'a communities of Gitlakdamix (New Aiyansh), Gitwinksihlkw (Canyon City), Laxgalts'ap (Greenville), and Gingolx (Kincolith) are within 60 km by air from Kitsault. By road, Kitsault is 52 km from Gitlakdamix and 200 km or 3.5 hours north from Terrace via the Nisga'a Highway 113, then a series of Forest Service and private industrial roads into the townsite of Kitsault. The story of Kitsault is the tale of mineral-rich mountains at the edge of North America, rainforests, salmon streams, and an isolated mining company town put into storage then resurrected again. We hope that this book will provide an insight into the spectacular surroundings of this unusual community and an understanding of the unique natural and historical attributes of the region. o o Kitsault, B.C.: Located in Northwestern British Columbia at 55 27.5’N 129 28.5’W - V3.2 Kitsault Resort Ltd., 2011 - 4 Areal View of the Townsite of Kitsault Photo: LandQuest Realty Corp. Key Kitsault Townsite - center of photo showing residential loop in foreground; dock area at top center; in 1981-1982, large docks were located here for shipping of molybdenum ore to world markets. Lime Creek - exits into marine water just above the townsite; its valley is steep, with bedrock canyons; the large molybdenum deposit on Lime Creek is upslope 5 km to the left (SSW of the townsite) on top of Widdzech Mountain; a large tailings pipe from the Kitsault Molybdenum Mine (1981-1982) brought tailings down slope to be dumped into the inlet at 50 meters depth. Roundy Creek - exits into Alice Arm inlet south of Lime Creek along the left side of the inlet; site of another large porphyry molybdenum ore deposit that may be developed by the proposed Kitsault Mine. Alice Arm inlet - foreground and disappearing around Pearson Point to the upper right; enters Observatory Inlet to the top right; note green colour of marine waters from inflow of glacial runoff. Dawson Ridge - mountain ridge to top background; this is part of the Tsi Galsgiist Biodiversity, Mining, and Tourism Area that excludes both commercial timber harvesting and commercial hydro-electric sites. Alice Arm Townsite - to the immediate right of the photo at the head of Alice Arm inlet where the Kitsault and Illiance Rivers enter marine water in a large shallow estuary (see page 5). North - to right of photo - V3.2 Kitsault Resort Ltd., 2011 - 5 PART 1: THE NORTH COAST AND KITSAULT AREA Head of Alice Arm inlet: Kitsault in lower right; village of Alice Arm in mid-left; estuary of the Illiance River (to mid-right) and Kitsault River (valley to upper left); the Dak River joins the Kitsault River mid-photo; the Nisga'a community of Gits'oohl was located at the mouth of the Kitsault River; the Gits'oohl BMT biodiversity area is located mid-photo. Photo: LandQuest Realty Corp. - V3.2 Kitsault Resort Ltd., 2011 - 6 GEOLOGY OF THE KITSAULT AREA Map 2: Geological Map of the Kitsault area, excerpt as per Grove, E., 1986. " Geology and Mineral Deposits of the Unuk River-Salmon River-Anyox Area". Bulletin 63, B.C. Ministry of Mines and Energy. Key: (map number in brackets) mya = millions of years ago dark line = fault where bedrock has slid past adjourning bedrock (20) = active floodplain and/or estuary; modern watercourses depositing gravel and silt orange = Pleistocene Epoch (est.1.6 and 0.6 mya); basaltic plateau lava flows (18) which may have emerged under thick Ice Age icesheets, forming flat topped lava deposits. dark pink = Eocene Epoch (Tertiary Period) (64 to 54 mya); crystalline quartz diorite intrusions (8) pale pink = Tertiary Period (64 to 54 mya); igneous crystalline Coast Plutonic complex (7) Jurassic Period = 195 to 136 million years ago in the Mesozoic Era, Age of the Dinosaurs pale green = Upper Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks (17) yellow = middle Jurassic sedimentary rocks (16) deep green = Lower to Middle Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks (12) GEOLOGICAL GLOSSARY 1greywackes - mud rocks with poorly sorted angular sediments 2argellites - fine grained shales primarily made from clay minerals 3 4 greenschist facies - metamorphic greenish-coloured flakey rocks lithified - dewatered, compressed, and solidified as rock 5felsic - refers to rocks composed largely of quartz and feldspar 6quartz diorite - half black, half white crystalline rocks rich in black hornblende and white plagioclase/sodium feldspar 7 quartz monzonite - greyish to greenish crystalline rocks, rich in potassium and sodium feldspar, but with less quartz, black hornblende and black biotite mica than true granite 8bitotie hornfels - metamorphic rock with large mineral structures, including large crystals of black mica 9lamprophyre - greyish feldspar-rich rocks, with large crystals, often biotite mica, set into a finer matrix - V3.2 Kitsault Resort Ltd., 2011 - 7 Geology of the Kitsault area Kitsault is located at the head of Alice Arm inlet, the eastern of two arms arising from Observatory Inlet.